Seeking water conservation stars

This Oceanside beach house was named one of the Surfrider Foundation's Ocean Friendly Gardens. Highlights of this Alvarado Street design include the ability to reduce water pollution by using drought tolerant and native plants, which require very little water and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. There is a dry stream and retention basin, which collects rainwater and directs it into the garden rather than dumping it straight into the street to pick up pollutants and wash them down the storm drains. The hardscape materials used also allow for more drainage of rainwater into the soil which also reduces runoff pollution and recharges the groundwater.
— K.C. Alfred

This Oceanside beach house was named one of the Surfrider Foundation's Ocean Friendly Gardens. Highlights of this Alvarado Street design include the ability to reduce water pollution by using drought tolerant and native plants, which require very little water and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. There is a dry stream and retention basin, which collects rainwater and directs it into the garden rather than dumping it straight into the street to pick up pollutants and wash them down the storm drains. The hardscape materials used also allow for more drainage of rainwater into the soil which also reduces runoff pollution and recharges the groundwater.
— K.C. Alfred

We are seeking super water-savers for profiles of water conservation in the county.

The topic is timely because this month, Gov. Jerry Brown formally proclaimed a drought in California, saying the state is facing perhaps its worst dry spell in a century. Colorado River Basin reservoirs are half-full, snowpack surveys have found bare ground where snowdrifts normally pile up and forecasters are predicting a heated wildfire season.

The San Diego County Water Authority has held off restricting water usage, saying the local water supply is sufficient for this year. Brown’s declaration calls for Californians to reduce water use by 20 percent.

In San Diego, potable-water consumption in 2013 was 24 percent lower than in 2007, the water authority reported.

But could we do more? If you or someone you know has cut water use — and perhaps reduced the water bill — through clever household innovations, low-water garden design or other efforts, share your success with us.